A Letter To The Ladies In My Life #HerGiftToMe

Happy hump day friends! I don’t know about y’all but I’m SO ready to kick off the Memorial Day weekend so we can hit the pool and sit around and veg out for a bit…which I rarely get to do! It won’t be all fun and games though as I’ll be trying to wrap up our neverending bathroom reno!

Do you have any big plans? And for all of your Crossfit-ers out there, who is doing Murph (or a version of Murph) this weekend? Anyone? I’m hoping to attempt a scaled version on Monday morning so wish me luck!

But in all seriousness, I’m incredibly grateful for all of the brave men and women who have served and sacrificed for this wonderful country we are so blessed to call home. Our thoughts and prayers are with your families. As a daughter of a veteran my heart is full of gratitude and empathy…

A Letter To The Ladies In My Life    #HerGiftToMe

…and speaking of being a daughter, mother and friend I want to recognize a very important part of my life – the ladies. And don’t worry I promise we will get to the fathers, boyfriends, brothers and friends in a few weeks time.

The month of Mother’s Day has me thinking about about my mother, sister and my own motherhood but also about the other indispensable ladies in my life. My girlfriends (new and old), neighbors, lacrosse moms, my gym family and coworkers alike. Obviously I may not have known them all for an equal length of time nor do they play the same roll in my everyday but nonetheless, the older I get the more I realize how blessed I am.

I truly don’t know what I would do without this community of women and I find that each one (or group) nourishes my soul in a different but essential way. When you are a girl in grade school emotions run high and hormones are raging and you can feel inseparable from your friends sometimes. But I believe that it’s not until you’re older and wiser that you are able to experience deep friendship and the true give and take of relationships.

Each of my friends or groups of friends fulfill my life in a way that I never expected or could comprehend as an adolescent. A few of my closest friends I’ve maintained from grade school and college and we have been with each other through, boyfriends, new jobs, marriages, children, adoptions, failed pregnancies, divorces, dating – I could go on and on. These ladies feel like an extension of my own body in a way. We are creating traditions and memories with our families that I hope our children will keep and continue long after they are grown.

There are also new friends: neighbors that help you out when you’re in a pinch and need a babysitter. That you can’t wait to grab a beer with at the pool on a Saturday and ooh and ahh over our kiddos. Or live vicariously through their stage of life…and the difference in life stages doesn’t seem to matter at all.

Sports moms that you can share the ups and downs, successes and failures, that our kids experience on and off the fields.

Coworkers that you go through the daily grind with and lift you up when you’ve had a tough day. They let you bounce ideas off of them and give you honest feedback.

Even my girls at the gym who I sweat with and see me at my worst are an integral part in my life.

And you know what the greatest thing is?? When friends from these groups merge into lifelong friends too. The support system, particularly between women our age, is in some ways surprising but so satisfying. They fill my cup until it’s brimming over and I couldn’t be more grateful.

I could never accurately articulate the gifts that these women give to me and how grateful I am to have and recognize these friendships. Each one of them gives so much of themselves, I can only hope that I’m able to give back in return.

They all deserve awards and accolades and to be pampered on a regular basis! I wish I could shower them all with gifts like these luxe robes from my Christy Linens. If you remember, these are the same beautiful robes I surprised my parents with as a house warming gift for the new beach house and I can’t say enough about them. Throw in some Mario Badescu skincare products and a bottle of champagne and you have a true girlfriends spa day.

{All photos by Paige Winn Photo}

I hope you are blessed with strong female (and male) friendships in your life too. And make sure they know just how much they mean to you! Christy has a wonderful selection of gifts to show those special ladies in your life how much you care.

And to end my ‘letter’, I hope everyone of you reading this knows how special you are to me and to the special women in your own lives. There are few things quite as special as a true friend and you inspire me with your strength and kindness EVERY.DAY.

Cheers!

{A big thank you to Christy Linens for sponsoring this post and thank YOU for supporting the brands that make Simple Stylings possible. All design, ideas and opinions are my own.}